MONDAY DIARY: BLACK CLOUDS BUT NO STORM

So the deacon comes to morning Mass and says, “Did you hear the news? Someone made secret tapes during a meeting with the bishop about the closing of parishes! It’s going to be on the news tonight.” Now I don’t watch television news anymore. In fact I hadn’t watched television news for some years for reasons I won’t go into here. But one reason is because of the result of this story.

So everyone is abuzz. “What could this secret recording be? Did he have a mole on the inside that caught him in a relaxed moment blurting out something out of frustration? Was it at a parish meeting and did he blow up or something?” It was almost as exciting wondering who it was that did as to what was said and where.

Despite what anyone might think of our bishop, he is a prudent and pragmatic man in regard to law both civil and ecclesial, in public and semi-public. (I’m not in his inner circle and so can’t way what he says in relaxed moments but can’t imagine it would be much different.) So a few of us gathered in the rectory parlor to watch the news breaking story. I got out a pen and paper to try to accurately record what was said. Would I have to defend the bishop? Would I be able to defend the bishop? (Notice my first reaction is, “this is not going to be good. How can I help right the ship?” There was, after all, the real possibility that something could have been said that would upset already very upset people.)

The first clue that it was not going to be the Black Thursday that had been anticipated was the soft peddle that seemed to counter the hype that led up to the airing. The second clue was that it was not the very last story. Still, somebody said, “Shh! Shhh! Here it is! Turn up the sound.” I hit the remote and then grabbed my pen a pad. This was important me. The bishop is not the faith – that is inviolate. But he is the shepherd of this local Church and, to use the term bluntly, my boss. I believe in the faith and the institution of the Church (I dedicate my life to it after all) and this could have a strong impact on perceptions, levels of belief, and hence the difficulty of my duties.

Two sentences in I stopped taking notes. The biggest concern was the bishop’s bluntness and tone. Not what he said, but the way he said it. As to the bluntness – well God bless him, he is who he is. I think I would rather have someone tell me how it is rather than serve it up with an aura of false hope and confusion. And those who know the man know that he is not a Midwesterner. He doesn’t speak like a Midwesterner. His tone comes across very gruff to many born and bread Midwesterners and there are people who find it “a tone.” I get that. Our impression though was, “That isn’t his ‘tone,’ that’s just him.” Would it be great if he had a different tone? Sure. But he doesn’t. Perhaps he thinks the same thing about us, “I wish they were a little more blunt in their dealings!” But we are one Church, he is the bishop, and we are each who we are – all striving to be better.

Anyway, in the end I felt sorry for the person who made the recording. I fear it backfired save for those who are looking for reasons to be disappointed and/or angry. I did not think it possible but my respect for television news casts dropped even further. Right after the story the T.V. went off – probably until someone comes into the sacristy again and says, “Hey – you should watch the news tonight.”